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Wednesday, 4 November 2015

The Screenwriter's Daughter @ The Leicester Square Theatre

In his latest play, writer Larry Mollin focuses his
attention on renowned screenplay writer Ben Hecht – responsible for the likes
of Gone With The Wind and a number of
Hitchcock films amongst others. Hecht was frequently uncredited for his work
and was blacklisted in the UK during the 40s and 50s for political activism. His
daughter Jenny, meanwhile, carried his mantle into the 60s as an actress working with the Living Theatre company - a girl with
free-spirited political views, a child of her time. The Screenwriter’s Daughter fittingly brings these two characters
together, detailing the narrative of their relationship.

So what we have is a writer writing about a writer. It’s
almost too obvious that proceedings all get a little too clever. Mollin litters
his script with quotes from Hecht’s films, theatrical and cinematic terms and
language, and a thorough shattering of the fourth wall. It’s as if the
characters are consciously players in a show but are incapable of escaping the script
that’s been written for them, their destiny that’s already become history.

That’s one of the main issues with The Screenwriter’s Daughter. The tragic ending is inevitable, even
for those who may not be familiar with the lead figures. Yet Mollin fails to
draw any dramatic tension out of their lives, so there’s little reason for the
audience to emotionally invest in these characters. Further, Anna Ostergren’s basic
direction does little to elevate the script. The set divides the stage into two
areas – a bed and a study – and the narrative essentially boils down to a
series of acted out phone calls. It’s heavy on the dialogue, with no visual
changes, very little music, and the peripheral characters simply standing and
reciting their lines.

Mollin’s script does at least differentiate between the two
lead characters through clever dialogue. Hecht’s speech is full of Hollywood
jargon, whilst his daughter’s overblown words are those of a naïve dreamer,
clearly highlighting the juxtaposition of their opposing views. The
performances, too, reflect this – Paul Easom is a charming and naturalistic father
figure, although Samantha Dakin doesn’t quite display the eccentricities of an anarchic
revolutionary.

Strip the historical context, though, and what’s left is
little more than a tragic tale of a young girl rebelling against her
overbearingly protective father. What could have been an interesting look at a
major player in cinematic history is instead rather tedious.

2/5

Watch: The
Screenwriter’s Daughter runs at the Leicester Square Theatre until 29th
November.